US astronaut to spend 11 months in space, set female record

Photo: AP/Dmitri Lovetsky, PoolIn this Thursday, March 14, 2019 file photo, U.S. astronaut Christina Koch, member of the main crew of the expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), speaks with her relatives through a safety glass prior the launch of Soyuz MS-12 space ship at the Russian leased Baikonur cosmodrome, Kazakhstan.

April 17, 2019 10:51 AM

A NASA astronaut will spend nearly a year at the International Space Station, setting a record for women.

Station astronaut Christina Koch (Cook) will remain on board for about 11 months, until February. That approaches but doesn't quite break Scott Kelly's 340-day U.S. record. She knew before launching last month that her flight might stretch into 2020. She says it's awesome.